William Hagar
William Hagar was born in 1798 in southern Vermont in the town of Rutland. As a young teenager, he was apprenticed there as a watchmaker.
After reaching the age of majority he moved to New York City in 1816 to work in his trade, but found it over stocked and soon needed a change in careers. He then applied at Elihu White’s Type Foundry where the delicate training of his eye and hand as a watchmaker now proved of the greatest value. William soon found the opportunity for advancement in his new occupation. Winning the confidence of Mr. White led to having an interest in the establishment in a few short years.
A type foundry was an organization that published typefaces and released fonts. Foundries were almost always formed by a type designer—and it was not uncommon for a type foundry to be the work of one single type designer. The term "foundry" came from the traditional idea of a foundry, when type was cast in metal.
Elihu White's entry into the business of type founding had been without any prior knowledge of the field. He had patented a type mold, but did not know the process to make the type. This led him to send an employee named Edwin Starr as an industrial spy into the works of Binny and Ronaldson's foundry. After a brief tenure, he returned with information for White to help establish his foundry.
Elihu White's entry into the business of type founding had been without any prior knowledge of the field. He had patented a type mold, but did not know the process to make the type. This led him to send an employee named Edwin Starr as an industrial spy into the works of Binny and Ronaldson's foundry. After a brief tenure, he returned with information for White to help establish his foundry.
In 1823, William was successful enough to take over George B. Lothian's part of the foundry of Lothian & Pell to form Hagar & Pell. They were the first to introduce the Scotch font to American printers. Hagar had asked a man named David Bruce Jr. to cut the punches for the lightface series. This connection would prove useful in the future.
Scotch Font
Hagar & Pell was dissolved in 1830. Hagar's Scotch font never sold well---the first successful Scotch font type was later credited to James Conner, who had bought the original punches and a few more cuts made by Edwin Starr.
After leaving the business for a few years in 1835 Hagar returned to type founding to buy an interest in the foundry of his old employer, Elihu White. This became White & Hagar. When White died in 1836 Hagar continued under his name until 1839. By 1840 he moved to 74 Fulton, just a couple doors away from Caleb Bartlett.
In 1842 the type foundry of James Conner went into debt with his banker. It was one of the best equipped in the country and Hagar could use the equipment. He induced his friend Caleb Bartlett to buy the equipment for the sum of $10,000 ($368,000 today) which was less than one fourth of its actual value. Hagar became a full partner with Bartlett under the firm name of William Hagar & Co at 74 Fulton. By 1845 he purchased his partner's interest and he continued alone until 1852.
After leaving the business for a few years in 1835 Hagar returned to type founding to buy an interest in the foundry of his old employer, Elihu White. This became White & Hagar. When White died in 1836 Hagar continued under his name until 1839. By 1840 he moved to 74 Fulton, just a couple doors away from Caleb Bartlett.
In 1842 the type foundry of James Conner went into debt with his banker. It was one of the best equipped in the country and Hagar could use the equipment. He induced his friend Caleb Bartlett to buy the equipment for the sum of $10,000 ($368,000 today) which was less than one fourth of its actual value. Hagar became a full partner with Bartlett under the firm name of William Hagar & Co at 74 Fulton. By 1845 he purchased his partner's interest and he continued alone until 1852.
Conner's first Type Foundry. Conner would recover from his debt and rebuild his business
While Hagar was actively engaged in typefounding, David Bruce was engaged in perfecting his typecasting machine. This was David Bruce Jr.'s father.
David Bruce invented the Pivotal Typecaster in 1838 and subsequently patented it in 1845. The pivotal type caster (also called the Bruce type caster) was the most important type casting machine ever invented, and was one of the most important machines enabling the industrial revolution. Without it there simply would not have been enough type to print the information necessary for the great transformations in society and industry in the middle and later 19th century.
Bruce's caster was also one of the primary enabling factors in the development of ornamented types in the 19th century. This allowed the printing industry to respond to the new pressures from lithography, and produced one of the finest periods of Artistic Printing and typography ever. The pivotal type caster remained in commercial use from the 1840s through the 1990s
Hagar, who had quickly realized the importance of the caster became the owner of the patents. He would soon supply all the foundrys of America and Europe besides a large number that went out to India and China where the missionaries were manufacturing the type for the propagation of their work.
Then in 1852 he sold the company to his brother and sons and went into retirement. He died in 1863 from stomach cancer at age 65.
The printing trade paper, The Inland Printer, had this to say in an article about him:
As a typefounder few have exceeded Mr Hagar except in the extent of their establishments. The perfection and finish of his body letter were particularly marked and were considered equal to the best produced anywhere at the time.
Some of Hagar's font designs that Caleb Bartlett may have had a hand in.